1915/Such Things As Dreams Are Made Of

Such Things As Dreams Are Made Of
Date of Scene:	01 September 2024
Location:	Beach
Synopsis:	The final confrontation with Gretchen. Amy Faust, Pulp Noir, Sayaka, Usagi, Mamoru, Melona, Mami, Taro, Seiko and Yuki make their way through X-Paradise and into Gretchen's lair where all of her gathered dark energy is kept... in a giant new body for herself! Tensions are high, and the future seems bleak, but the light in the tunnel is very much not the end. Make way for Hope Concept!
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Melona Mizu, Taro Yamada, Hinote Kagari, Usagi Tsukino, Seiko Akai, Mami Tomoe, Yuki Hoshino, Sayaka Miki, Amanda Faust, Mamoru Chiba
Tinyplot:	The Meaniedokas

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Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It has been a couple of hours since the battle with Rens and Tia, which means that it's currently just a little bit past midnight. Which technically makes it tomorrow. Not that it's easy to tell time in a place like this.

    Those who entered the crack in reality are now in Gretchen's would-be perfect world, X-Paradise. It's very clearly a work in progress, with large chunks of the landscape missing or replaced with glitchy half-finished holograms, null textures, stray floating Witch runes, or pieces that flicker in and out of reality like a failing fluorescent light.

    Once in a while a black X-Egg floats by, wearing a yellow construction worker's helmet. Occasionally there are some benotafraids hauling things around. Aside from that, signs of life in this strange and empty place are basically nonexistent. Nothing here is interested in harming the interlopers, nor in impeding their progress.

    Wandering around this world works not unlike a Witch's Labyrinth. Once in a while the scene just changes, as if you've walked through an invisible doorway and into another room. The party often splits when these scene changes happen, only for them to rejoin each other later during another transition. As such, it's easy to get lost here.

    Yet, Gretchen has a plan. She's not trying to fight, at least not at the moment. No, she's trying to tempt, and to get others to understand her vision. Each scene that the sparkles reach is chosen with intention. One moment they are walking on the surface of the moon, and the stars in the night sky are all shining beautifully. A while later they are walking down a tiny street amongst rows and rows of tiny doll houses, or perhaps it would be better to call these doll suburbs, and occasionally a tiny shadowy formless X-Chara peeks out through a window at the relatively giants interlopers. There are sports arenas, carnivals, rolling hills dotted with pretty flowers, beaches, mountain summits, and many other sights both fun and pretty... if a bit incomplete and glitchy.

    Eventually, the party finds themselves in a very large dining hall. The dominant colors here are a very pale blue bordering on white, strips of shining silver, and a background of a starry black sky. It's a long rectangular room, with walls and pillars of pale marble. White tapestries embroidered with silver flank very large open windows that run up and down the wall. The ceiling is held up by marble arches, where silver chandeliers hang above and sparkle with magical light. In the middle of the room is a very long dining table, large enough for a feast. Plates and silverware are set out, but there is no food.

    At the opposite end of the room, the wall is entirely missing. In its place is what looks like a giant black statue, as if a massive being had torn open a wall and peeked her upper half into the room, allowing her legs to dangle off of the cliff that this hall is apparently resting on. It looks vaguely human shaped, in the way that many youma do, but it apparently can't decide whether to be solid or gaseous. A closer look would reveal that it is indeed Witch matter.

    Granted, there's not much time to reflect upon that when the far more distracting part of the statue is the giant mask worn over its face that looks exactly like a scaled up, highly detailed version of Gretchen's. Which is honestly a bit weird, because Gretchen's presence can be felt very deeply in this area, even by people who have little to no psychic senses, and yet the little Witch Chara is nowhere to be seen.

    ... But once everyone has gathered, The Presence speaks, and it's pretty clearly coming from that giant weirdo masked statue over there. Also, it's starting to move.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    You know... people really do hold the divine to ridiculously high standards. People always talk dumb about... the giant statue makes a jazz hands motion 'well how come there's bad in the world if the gods are good?!' and like... First off, there have been plenty of evil gods throughout mythology so that assumption doesn't even make sense, and secondly... do people really even know what they're asking for?

    The statue leans back, gesturing with her huge arms towards the vast cosmos. There are so many spaces, far far larger than this planet, far far larger than our own sun, where suffering and evil do not exist. Places where no one is hurting, or intending to hurt others. You know what those places are like?

    She slaps her palm against the floor, and paradoxically it actually doesn't feel like the world is shaking from the impact. It sounds a lot more like hitting a table. It's a show of frustration, not of power. Empty voids! Outer space! No one hurts out there because no one is out there. Suffering and evil only exist in these tight little confined pockets of life we call 'habitable planets'. Bad things exist because you do.

    The Gretchen-masked statue shrugs. Granted, I don't think anyone among you ever actually asked for Paradise, but like... I'm just saying it up front. I don't want to hear any dummy talk about 'boo hoo why aren't you making the world absolutely perfect'. There's no way to actually fix the world in a way that makes everyone happy. You get what you get.

    The statue folds her hands together in front of her mask before continuing. That said, I've considered the result of this coming conflict, and have calculated the most likely possible scenarios. It seems apparent to me that neither side wants to kill or harm the other, which means that neither of us will truly be giving it our all. I suspect that we would be fighting more out of ceremony or obligation to some kind of tradition, rather than actually using it as a means to reach an end to our conflict. This, naturally, would be a waste of everyone's time and also deeply unfair to those amongst you who have strict limits on your magical use.

    All the same, our goals do conflict. Therefore I am allowing this opportunity to talk things out. X-Paradise may not be able to be everything I wanted it to, but I will not abandon the Witches I have captured, nor will I surrender the energy I have taken in the name of completing this task.

    Hope Blossom, it seems, is not here yet. Her voice can be heard from behind the party calling out, "Sorry I'm late!" while her rapid footsteps echo through the hallway outside.

    Tia and Rens, also, are here. They both look a bit different. There's a lot less darkness in their general appearance. Their pinks and whites are somehow brighter. Tia's parasol is a light pink. Rens's glasses are actually see-through instead of suffering from permanent Gendoglare. Tia seems to be setting out teacups on the end of the table closest to the Gretchen statue, while Rens is sitting behind some normal-looking computers and monitors, looking over meters and graphs and watching oscilloscopes. Whatever the case, they are very clearly no longer X-Chara.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR-K2rUP86M

Melona Mizu has posed:
Melon's part in all of this until now had been... mostly in the background. Not intentionally, so much as simply having taken a different route due to arriving with no interest in what the others were doing specifically. Which is likely why when she ends up /with/ the rest of the group, it might have been a surprise at first, and perhaps they could have briefly thought her appearance was a trick of the 'Labyrinth'.

As they make themselves through the various ... scenes ...she doesn't show much real interest in them at all, barely even looking at anything beyond those flashes of X-Eggs peeking through windows.

In fact, in general, she seems to mostly remain quiet, though there is a vague aura of dark grumpiness coming from her. A grumpiness that seems to deepen at the words being spoken by the statue.

"...You assume a lot."
"For a bully."

Is Melon's relatively simple comment in response to the spiel from the statue. She glances towards Hope Blossom as she arrives. "Hi."

...It's simple, but it's more acknowledgement than most of the others have gotten.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Kuiper Belt Cape has been staring at the various little dioramas in the windows. Tiny suburbs, tiny playgrounds, tiny beaches and tiny hills. It's all candy coated and beautiful.

It makes him want to eat glass. Obviously he wants a world like this. This would be awesome, actually. If this had existed when he was a kid, his mother would have been a lot healthier. But in a kingdom of rounded corners and glitching, what room is there for monsters like him?

He raises one clawed hand once the masked figure finishes her speech. "Hi! I know this is a stupid question that oughta be obvious. I just want it clarified that the talk about how the only place there is no evil is in the void of nonexistance does not mean you're planning to kill everyone to create a perfect world."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Pulp Noir enters the reality tear, but not before giving Seiko a text.

> Seiko. I think we need your help...

And he'd explain the situation through texts as best as he could,. Another purifier could be useful, aswell...and Seiko was one.

Pulp Noir stares into strange dollhouses. He jumps along the moonscape, all while hefting his Tommy Gun towards the ground as he frowns.

They reach Gretchen after dealing with glitchy weird roomscapes. And X-eggs with construction helmets. Helping things with too many eyes.

"Gretchen. It's time to come home." he finally says. "It's time to come home to Kaname-san."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon is separated from Tuxedo Kamen partway through the Labyrinth, which isn't something she's thrilled with, but given that none of them have been attacked, she's sure that he's fine - probably just... disoriented.

That's fair. She's disoriented, after all. Walking through the Labyrinth, through pleasant, if glitchy, surroundings, is a temptation that doesn't land, not when the world she's most interested in is the one she lives in, with all her friends, her loved ones.

Even if it does tear at her heart to walk across the Moon's surface once more, looking up at stars that glitter like jewels, in a city that shrines instead of crumbles.

When they finally reach the table, and the room where it stands, and the large, masked statue, she looks around, glad that things don't seem to be headed for a fight - and when the statue speaks, revealing itself as the source of the Presence, she stumbles back, arms pinwheeling to catch her balance.

"Gretchan! You - wow, you had a growth spurt." Yep. That's Sailor Moon for you. "I think talking really does suit most of us? Probably? And, if that's the case, my first question is, are you going to take more energy, or are you done with that step?"

Seiko Akai has posed:
"La La Laaaa Laaa laaa!" Star Shine sings out and a beam of notes go flying at an X-egg. The x-egg had attacked her just a few moments ago but not it was on the run. The rookie magical girl goes racing out of it. Jumping through the air and practically flying, The yellow and white clad pop idol goes rushing after the x-egg. "Get back here! I am not going to let you get away!"

The X-egg cries out a, "HOPELESS!!!," as it flies into the rift. Star Shine stops and looks at the rift. "Well this is new..." She sighs. "Welp. I guess its time to see if I've got what it takes to be a proper magical girl!" With that she jumps into the rift.

It just so happens to be mid speech of the Gretchen deity statue. She quickly moves over to the other girls and boys present. She looks around, seeing X-eggs flying around her jaw drops and she winces. "This is... This is a nightmare." She softly speaks. Her phone goes off and she checks it. She doesn't respond though. Why would she? She's here! She looks around this half made labyrinth and the very sight freaks her out. "So what did I just wonder into?"

The X-egg she had been chasing flies around Gretchen before going to work for her. "I don't know if I can sing this one away..."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami wasn't in the earlier battle. She'd received Madoka's message, and she tried to make it, but by the time she arrived the battle was already over. Which is why she, too, made her way through X-Paradise by herself with the same curiosity she always had in a Labyrinth. They were always so unique.

She arrives just as Gretchen starts giving her speech and she listens, then she looks aside to Melon and smiles at her kohai's comment. Sailor Moon gets right into the nitty gritty, but Mami is just really struck. She wants to say something, but isn't sure what, but Gretchen isn't attacking so she just waits and listens. For once, she's not rushing in guns blazing.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
After the battle, Yuki spent most of an hour kicking sand, noodling around on a guitar she'd produced from somewhere, and letting the events of the day percolate through her head. Eventually she gave up on it, unable to come to a proper conclusion, still wanting to believe in her friend. But everyone else is going after the little X-chara.

So she follows after them, wandering into the altered space. The glitchy nature of it reminds her of her own issues with her barrier jacket, and she starts a sensor recording going just in case she can find something useful to minimize that problem.

She's listening to what people are saying, at least. Nods and waves hello to Gretchen and Rens and Tia. And Madoka, when she appears. She takes a seat, but pulls one foot up onto the edge of the seat and wraps her arms around her knee.

"Seems to me that everyone is jumping to conclusions about ... well, everything. You never wanted to hurt anyone, did you, Gretchen? Just to help people who most of these folk were leaving behind."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You really have changed, Gretchen", Sayaka frowns as she makes her way into the room. There are a lot of rooms out there, and those that tried to appealing to her were more often than not musically based, even if there was the odd one out based on track or surfing rarely. Then there were some that despite being designed to tempt her, actually made her deeply uncomfortable. She ran out quite angry out of those.

It has been a long way to even reach here, and she is not sure if she simply ran out of material, or attention she could give her. She would feel much better with the latter. "I don't just mean visually. Do you think you would have brainwashed whole groups of people before you started all of this? That's not like the you I know, and I think she would have disapproved of your paradise."

She takes a seat at the table, still looking at the giant form of Witch matter. It is mildly unnerving the way Witch stuff usually is, but at least mostly everyone here is used to that. "Will you be joining us for this discussion, or do we have to talk to your statue?" If that is even possible, Sayaka is not sure if that is some sort of double, or if it is actually her. Things would be much easier in the latter case.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's not sure what she expected, but... Yeah, this is a solid start for an under-construction world.

    As they wander for hours (at least, according to Amy's phone), she stops and rests now and then, and what else can you do while resting but admire some of the scenic vistas?

    Just from a scientific perspective, or a seeing-neat-things perspective, it's kind of fascinating to be inside a Labyrinth where everything isn't trying to kill you.

    When she hits unexpected transitions, she tests whether they work both ways, or how wide the invisible 'door' is, and things like that.

    They enter the dining hall, and Gretchen begins to say her piece.

    Do people even know what they're asking for? Amy shakes her head. "No, of course not. I don't think anyone who wishes gods would do that for them has bothered to think about how to actually build that better world."

    You know what those places are like? "Rocks, flying in curves."

    Bad things exist because you do. Amy nods, although she's looking a little concerned. A divinely-powered being could go worrying directions from there.

    I don't think any of you asked for perfection, but I won't take complaints for falling short of impossible. "I'm sorry I didn't talk with you about it more. I figured you... I honestly thought this would take longer, I guess."

    She nods appreciatively at the comment about limited magic use.

    Honestly, she's caught by surprise that Gretchen's plan is to talk.

    Amy takes a breath. "Do you know why I end conversations late at night with 'Sweet dreams, you deserve them.'? It's from a story. About a... a nascent god facing the same problem you are, of making a world that humans will like, when a world of perfect happiness cannot exist. And who, before she's reached an all-powerful state, faces the problem of getting humans on her... on its side. To evacuate as many as possible to utopia before other humans try to stop it. And it lies, and deceives, and manipulates, because once a human is in its world they will never know if they were lied to... unless it makes the human happier to learn this."

    Amy shakes her head. "I'm getting off-topic. Anyway, in one side story, the god says it to the protagonist because it's something her mother used to say to her; There's no way it should know that, but," Amy shrugs, "god powers. And when I read that, I thought the idea that people don't get to hear such a nice sentiment, that someone might go through life and not hear it for decades but from a manipulative god... that that was too sad. So I started saying it so people would get to hear it."

    Amy looks around, and takes a breath. "So I guess what I'm wondering is: Do you actually need dark energy to do this? Or could you do it as a purified god too? If... if you can do it... Then I'm happy to discuss everything I know about discussing such things."

    Amy remembers a thought. "Oh right, and we were all arguing about what was the deal with the people outside. Were you planning to keep them mind-controlled because that's the only way you see for them to be happy?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen seems content to let Amy experiment as she wishes, without harassment. This is supposed to be a fun place, so there's no issue in allowing her to explore her curiosity. The doors do sometimes work both ways, but once Amy walks too far away then the door changes to point to a different room. Like as if it got 'unloaded' and then a random new door was 'loaded'. Amy might be able to feel the Gretchen Presence speaking. That's a bug, sorry. I'll put it on the known issues list.

    Within the dining room, the giant Gretchen-statue glances at Misery Melon and tchs. Her voice sounds deep, echoey and gravelly, but she's not speaking through that weird almost-telepathy anymore. "Rude. I'm trying to make things better here! Just because I'm doing it in a way that you don't like... What's your problem?"

    Taroi's question gets Gretchen even more annoyed. "Obviously I'm not going to kill everyone!" Gretchen sounds exasperated. "I can literally just have a Labyrinth all by myself without inviting anyone! It would actually be less work and absolutely no one would care enough to stop me!"

    Pulp Noir is who she responds to next. "This is my home, far more than Doka's house ever was. Mine and my sisters' home for as long as they want to stay. Regardless of how much dark energy they have."

    The statue listens as Amy speaks. It's kind of a sweet story in a way, and a little touching to the would-be God Chara. However, when asked if being purified would fix things, the statue shrugs its shoulders. "I really can't answer that. Unless Madoka-chan has changed significantly since I've been gone, I don't really think that's on the table. I will say this much: I gotta go one way or the other. Light and dark don't play along. If I get purified, lose all of this power, and it doesn't work?"

    Gretchen snaps her stony fingers, and the two captive Witches appear. One that looks like a black weathered cloak that the Grim Reaper would wear, and the other that looks like a bunch of balloons with a smiley face painted on the biggest balloon of the bunch.

    "I will lose control of these two Witches, and no longer be able to save them. While I'm sure this group could clean up the aftermath... that's not really the way I want this to go."

    Gretchen looks uncomfortable at Sayaka's pointed words. "Would I have...? No, I wouldn't. Back then, things were different. I thought that if I were the only one suffering, that I could endure it forever. It wasn't until I saw what was happening to Rens and Tia that I made the choice to walk this path." The giant statue handwobbles in response to Amy and Sayaka's questions, "Admittedly, the mind control thing was a bit much. The dark energy got to me. I should've questioned my choices a bit more. The brainwashing part wont happen again. I'm totally in control now."

    Gretchen, sadly, actually believes that last part. That doesn't make it true.

    To Yuki, it's actually Tia that responds, "No, I don't think they're jumping to conclusions. I've been pretty up front with them about what it is I'm trying to do."

    Another X-Egg joins the Labyrinth, and Gretchen lets it through. She gives it a friendly wave as it goes off to work. Whatever abandoned dream it once represented, at least now it's doing something right? Has to be better than stewing in despair.

    Madoka Kaname finally catches up with the group after running all the way here. She puts her hands on her knees and says, breathlessly, "Hi" to Melona. She also waves to Mami, before double taking at Misery Melon. "Oh! You were at Oktavia too, right? Hi again!"

    Once she catches her breath, Hope Blossom storms towards the giant Gretchen statue and says, "That was really mean, Gretchen-chan! I know you bent space just so I'd have to run longer to catch up!" She crosses her arms, unintimidated by the relative size. Gretchen just snickers.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Sailor Moon comments on the size, and asks if more energy will be taken. Sayaka asks if they'll be talking to the statue the whole time. Gretchen says, "It depends... This size, this body, is how I'm storing all of the energy I've drained from all over the world. I have quite a lot of it, but I need more. Rest assured that I'm here, just... I have a lot of energy and this is what that looks like."

    Rens adjusts her glasses and looks up from her instruments, saying, "Perhaps a demonstration is in order? We've made significant progress."

    Mega Gretchen nods, and then holds up her giant stony finger, waving it back and forth like a conductor. The Cloak Witch and Balloon Witch start dancing around, swaying and spinning, as if to an unheard tune. The statue explains, "We can control the body of the Witch, but this is merely the prison. We have yet to truly reach the prisoners. With more power, I'm sure that we could force our way through."

    Madoka frowns at this. She walks over to where Rens is sitting to look over the readings. The Science Chara explains things for a bit to her. 'This thing represent the Witch's mood, which is sometimes different from the Puella's.' 'That thing is the signal proving that a soul is actually inside.' Things of that nature.

    "What makes you so sure that dark energy is the answer, Gretchen?" asks Hope Blossom. "Isn't that just another red flag you should be watching out for?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon does not roll her eyes at Yuki's statement about jumping to conclusions, and she's glad for that when Tia of all people validates their opposition, surprising enough. They aren't jumping to conclusions - they've made their choice to stand against what Gretchen's doing - at least, some of what she's doing.

And having it confirmed that she knows she went too far? That she doesn't want to mind control people again? That is a good sign.

"So you're this big because of all the energy you took," she hums, looking up, and nods with Madoka. "How are you going to reach their souls with more dark energy, when the amount you have was enough to make you think brainwashing people was a good idea?"

It's a pointed look she throws the statue, leaning back in her claimed chair.

"You can't just take more energy, either - that's not fair, and it's not right. There's got to be something else we can do, for you and the Witches."

And boy, is she watching those two captured Witches carefully.

Melona Mizu has posed:
"Speak for yourself, noodle-hair." Melon comments towards Sailor Moon. "...If there is a chance, I am destroying the witch. It is the job of a Puella Magi." Even if Gretchen isn't ... necessarily a normal witch right now. It's close enough. And she's sure if she broke it apart it would give a grief seed all the same. Or... an X-egg? Or something? Who knows, but she's sure she could feed it to Kyubey either way.

Mami gives a quiet nod. "Mami." The only one who gets a small smile from the young magi, who moves over to her side almost... automatically. As she wandered over, Melona was grabbing interesting or useful-looking things. A plate from the table. A fork. A piece of marble pillar. Sliding her hand through it like it were clay rather than a solid object. Absently molding the items together as she moves, though her gaze stays partially towards Gretchen the whole time.

The others continue to talk.
...How bothersome...
If they just killed it, it'd be over.
And then she could go back to tinkering with her things.

Though as Amy talks, she seems to get more agitated in her movements. It's relatively subtle, slightly more aggressively molding the items she'd gathered into her hands, giving the marble a hard PUNCH. Talk of gods. And nice little sentiments.

"Pointless words. ...Bullies don't care about those things." She mutters under her breath. "Just their own feelings. No matter what they say. And bullies who pretend to be your friend... forcing you to act a certain way... they're the worst kind."

Gretchen's response gets a direct look from Melon again, her eyes narrowing. "Forcing people to be happy all the time... punishing them for not being happy... the worst kind of bullying." That bit of marble and plate and fork being slowly worked on the whole time she speaks. It's not forming a weapon just yet, though it's likely should could 'finish' it at any point.

...And when those captive wtiches appear...

And Madoka confirms where they met. "...Yes." Pause.

The cloak witch and balloon witch are forced t o start dancing around, swaying, and spinning.

And Melona is immediately moving towards them, the unformed weapon in her hand becoming a large blade suddenly as she does. "LET THEM GO!!! THIS IS WORSE THAN... THAN... THAN /SHE/ DID! AT LEAST WE HAD A CHOICE IN OUR FIGHT!!!"

She's clearly not talking about current events.

...There is time to intercept her, but if she's not intercepted, she fully intends to go in to attempt to stab the balloon witch in its face.

Because it was better off freed than like this.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Pulp Noir watches Witches spin in a dance. It's kind of creepy. He frowns. "More mind control." he says quietly. "Is that all you're capable of?" he asks cooly. "You really are a bully." he says, reinforcing Misery Melon's prognosis earlier.

Then Misery makes a play to jump into the fray properly as he blinks and raises the Tommy Gun next, but holds his fire on the trigger.

"Look, attacking may not be the best idea right now!" he yells at Misery Melon.

He tries to move forward, chasing after her, trying to be there to pull her back if she gets into trouble. And she might.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
There's a lot being said, and Mami doesn't really know just what she thinks about it. She's never been particularly bothered by the contract she agreed to. Not even now that she knows most of the details. But she knows that many other people feel differently, and she does have sympathy for them. But still, all of this seems not right.

She gives Hope Blossom and Misery Melon smiles, her hand reaching out to rest on her kohai's shoulder when the younger puella comes to stand by her. And then Gretchen says that one thing, and Mami blinks. "That's the same thing every one of my coworkers says before they go and do something unhinged, Gretchen," she says. "If you think you're totally in control, it's the first sign you're completely out of it!"

"Melon no!" Mami calls out as her kohai charges toward the witches. Her hand rises up and ribbons shoot out to try and snare the other puella, snare her and pull her back to Mami.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Star Shine takes a deep breath. All the dark energy around is enough to make her feel sick to her stomach. Or is that Hoshi inside her? A question for later. "So should Madoka-san purify you, you unleash your pet witches and they go on a rampage? Sounds a little melodramatic if you ask me."

Quietly she moves to the table and looks to the others. Her eyes fall on Amy, recognizing a familiar face. She had, after all, shown her magical form to Seiko before. She also recognizes Hinote. The others present she doesn't know. Still she sits down and watches as the stone figure talks. As the Witches dance she stifles the desire to sing and give those witches something to dance to...

Then the others begin speaking. She quietly listens as things seem to tense up a little. With so much dark energy in one place it is hard for things not to feel tense. "You don't need to use Dark Energy to get your desi..." She looks closely at the statue and something is clicking to her. The darkness is familiar to her. Like an x-egg but more powerful, "You're an X-chara aren't you?"

She looks around at the others. "Am I right? I don't know what I am dealing with here and all of these X-eggs around are making me want to do something about them." She frowns, "All of those hopes and dreams... They are stolen from innocent people! How could you?!" She asks as she turns to the Statue. "How Dare you steal the hopes and dreams of so many. You say you are in control but you aren't. So long as you have to rely on the hopes and dreams of others to force your will, you will never be in control!" She frowns as she looks around again. Her heart breaking for those whose hearts eggs have been stolen.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Kuiper Belt Slasher winces as Gretchen replies, hurt, to his question. Which, yeah, makes sense, but you had to check if someone wanted to kill everybody for a seemingly good reason if that's a possibility! That's a mistake you only make once. (Thanks, Jack.)

"Sorry," he says. "I just got here from watching all those kissed people trying to rob a candy store to give offerings, and I know that wasn't what you had in mind, but that does feel like a consequence you didn't think through. I've done lots of stuff I didn't entirely think through and it sucked, so I figure if you're intent on doing this, and you're going to convince us, you want to show you have all the angles covered, right?"

He's in no place to lecture her on the morals of brainwashing and draining people given his history of stabbing and draining people and - frankly, it sounds like Sailor Moon and the others have that covered. So while they work on the morals angle, he'll try what's always tripped him as a villain -

Are you really, really sur eyou'd worked out everything in this plan?

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Yuki shrugs. "Fine, fine, whatever, of course you're right," she says, resting her forehead on her knee. "Everyone keeps going on about how bad dark energy is. Seems to me like you might be able to accomplish your goals better without it. Just... get other kinds of energy. Consider that maaaaybe someone else knows what they're talking about?"

She sighs again. "Or don't. And remember how everyone reacted before. And how Easter reacted when we went there. Right now you've got everyone thinking you're the bad guy in all this. You and I both know you aren't, you don't want to be. So c'mon. Think it through, Gretchen. I know you've got the smarts to find the right answer."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And Tuxedo Mask bursts in and throws a rose at Melona's sudden blade, aiming to break it. "You missed the fighting part," he says, breathing hard, tone a little aggravated. "She's not a Witch, anyway!"

Then he looks up and up at Gretchen and sighs a little. "You and Riventon... it really isn't that simple. It's, yeah," he nods to Mami. "It's like that. I mean it's great until suddenly it's really, really not. I could show you, Gretchen, if you wanted. And if you need energy to help those Witches, energy made from corruption and theft probably isn't going to help them-- you can use some of mine. Maybe if we all lend you energy you won't have to steal it?"

He turns to look at Star Shine and just stares for a second. "She's still talking," he says after a second. "Not justice speech time yet."

Finally, Tuxedo Mask skirts around the table and leans against the back of Sailor Moon's chair. He leans down and says to her in a low voice, "It's not so bad in here. It's not great but it's not as bad."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka's brow furrows when she sees Gretchen casually command the body of the two Witches for a demonstration. And the fact she claims to be safe from further lapses in judgement really only makes her question that bit even more. "I don't think we needed a demonstration, or to see them dance. You are just as much a puppeteer, Gretchen. Shouldn't this be enough to make you reconsider the dark energy?"

She is a bit ticked off by seeing the Witches treated so carelessly. And to think she could have been there if things had gone slightly different. How Gretchen is treating them absolutely unfair. "I would have absolutely disliked that had it been done to me", the bluenette points to the dancing duo.

She doesn't comment on that form being an outer shell made of energy. At least she now knows that they will have to break through it to reach Gretchen. That should be doable between all of them, right?

A wave of panic bubbles inside Sayaka when Melon goes on the attack, and she is about to get up from her chair before ribbons fly to restrain her. "Good call, Mami-san", she says tense, hand slowly leaving a sword as it disappears again. She is actually glad to see her try to convince Gretchen with them despite how they left each other.

"I agree with Sailor Moon", she adds after the chaos, trying to keep things on track. "We all want the same thing, but you have to see that you are being warped, Gretchen. And you have someone here that works in Obsidian a lot, you can trust her opinion", she tries giving a smile at Mami.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    (Amy is absolutely happy to keep poking at reality and finding bugs on her way to the meeting. It's... nice. Especially when they're separated, it's not like she's going to be able to force her wat to confront Gretchen until the X-Chara is ready to talk.)

    I'm totally in control now. Uh-huh.

    When Gretchen makes the Witches dance, Amy winces and holds out a hand, "No, don't--!" She points out the bodes they see are just prisons -- mood -- and the souls are inside, but still, it's uncomfortable to watch them be puppeted like that. Melon feels it too, and Amy rushes to her side to put a hand on her shoulder, "No, wait! Please, let us talk just a little longer!"

    Amy takes a breath. "Okay. So. I'm not sure you having dark energy forever is tenable, buuuut, I also think it'd be kinda reckless to just blast you now, ruat caelum."

    If someone asks what that means and no one else explains first, Amy translates it as 'and let the heavens fall.'

    "You're right, we don't want to see this all fall apart and then have to kill these poor Witches. But we're also concerned: You say you're in control now, but ... Change is hard. To never screw up is an impossible standard. Take it from... from Kuiper Belt Cape and I. Over a long life, you will make mistakes. Heck, take it from everyone," she makes an expansive sweeping gesture at the others, "I'm sure everyone here has made countless mistakes in their lives, whether they're 16 or 60."

    Amy looks up at Kriemhild Gretchen. "...And the consequences when a god messes up are dire, and can affect the future of all of humanity, forever. That was... that was part of the story, too. A quirk of fate meant the AI started out designed to replicate the world of a popular children's cartoon, and although it meant well and tried its best to do the right thing as it became smarter, it couldn't... not do that. People were happier, yes, but everyone in a cartoon fantasy world which was controlled by a god, forever. It was a cautionary tale."

    "So... I'm wondering. If you could precommit to being purified after you save these Witches, or break another promise. At the very least... I think we should allow you to try one last time, to do everything you can to save these Witches with the power you've got, right now. Even if Paradise is set back. We can... We can hope to try Paradise again another way, but we won't get another chance to help these two. Could you agree to that?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Tia, meanwhile, has a boiling pot of tea ready around the same time that Mamoru arrives. She pours out several cups, and says, "The strange food effects in this Labyrinth actually seem to follow the 5 second rule, and Gretchen has been able to extend it to 5 minutes."

    Rens chimes in, "We've isolated it as a darkness problem, not a Witch problem, so if the tea starts looking back at you then purification ought to clear it up."

    Tia smiles, saying, "You'll just have to stir it with the purification candy that someone brought with them and it'll go back to normal." Pointed stare at... oh, he's not here yet. Oh well. "That is, of course, if anyone would care for a cup." Then she starts sipping tea from a cup half as large as she is.

    Sailor Moon has her objections, and Gretchen says, "Because it's worked out so far. Look around you! I was never capable of creating all of this all on my own. Even with Madoka-chan, I couldn't do all of this or go this far. This world you see, this X-Paradise, only exists because of the darkness I was able to take. Surely if I can do all of this, then I can save one of them!" The statue gestures towards the Witch.

    As for the offer of something else, Gretchen shrugs. "I mean, I may be full of dark energy, but I'm still not dumb enough to demand your Ginzuishou. That kind of thinking has a bad track record." Wait... track record from what? Well, actually, several here might know that Gretchen has experience from alternate timelines.

    At first there's no objection to Melona taking things. It's X-Paradise, and Gretchen can just make more. However, the strong words and outright declaration of intent do make the X-Witch's statue a little bit miffed. "You know I'm not really a Witch right? You're not gonna get a Grief Seed if you win. Just an angry fairy and a collapsing pocket universe."

    Melona and Pulp call her a bully, and Gretchen looks up and shrugs as if she's rolling her unseen eyes. "Who cares how a Witch feels? I'm not hurting the person inside, just the monster that kills people on the outside."

    Madoka's clap back is immediate, "Maybe thinking like that is why you can't reach Witches!"

    Before Gretchen can respond to that, Mami is telling her that she's really not in control. "Yeah well I'm not dumb like they were!" A pause. "Okay, so, like I know how that sounded? But really it's fine!"

    Then Melona is suddenly moving to attack. Gretchen's response is immediate, moving her giant stony hand to block Melona's way while also bending space to lengthen the distance between Witch and Witch-slayer. This results in the Witches being sent out a window to float against the backdrop of the night sky, but Gretchen doesn't attack. She is, frankly, still here to save Puella Magi. However, she does chide her. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to capture these two in particular? How special they are? How difficult our progress would be without them? Do you want to be a Witch that badly?"

    To Star Shine, the massive Gretchen statue responds, "I wouldn't be releasing them on purpose. It's just... not exactly easy to contain a being that can warp space and hide in its own reality bubble at will, and attacking me can cause that to mess up."

    When Star realizes out loud that she's an X-Chara, Gretchen says, "Yes that's right. I'm an X-Chara. That pink girl over there is my Chara Bearer." Then she realizes how vague that is. "I mean, the pink girl that isn't you." Pause. "And also the one that's not a Puella Magi." Another pause, then points at Hope. "Hope Blossom. That one."

    "Also I didn't take these X-Eggs from their original bearers. I stole them from Easter who stole them. Probably from children who went to one of their concerts or something. I'm not the one who abandoned these dreams to begin with! Go take it up with their Bearers if you're that upset."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka objects again, "Okay, but are you sure they were rejected? Dreams from non-magicals can just be stolen outright. You saw it before at the concert, right?" Gretchen is silent, but Madoka has added another doubt to the pile.

    Black Street Slasher is also managing to trip up the big Gretchen form. "I mean... I was kinda focusing on the Witch thing first? Priorities. But like... Have I thought everything through? No. That's what research is for. We try something. It doesn't work. We fix it and do it better next time. It's a process."

    Sayaka's comments pull her onto a new line of conversation. "I mean, I trust her because she's Mami more than I trust her for working at Obsidian. Like... they're kind of delusional jerks a lot of the time?" says Gretchen with the self-awareness of a mahou shoujo endboss.

    Madoka asides to Yuki, "I don't think that Gretchen is a bad person, but the dark energy is tricking her and it needs to go."

    The consequences when a god messes up are dire. Gretchen snap points at Amy. "How do you know that's not already what we're dealing with? There are things still more powerful than even what I'm capable of, and a lot of them aren't very nice." However... to precommit to purification? "I mean. I don't want to make a promise that I can't keep. If I could be purified then I would have already."

    To Tuxedo Kamen, Gretchen considers, "I mean... if you're giving it willingly... I could use a bit more. Especially yours." The statue reaches out to Tuxedo Kamen, but Hope Blossom steps in the way.

    "Gretchen-chan, stop!" demands her Chara Bearer. "It's not going to work and you know that. You're missing something fundamental." Madoka gestures towards herself, saying, "Henshin with me, please, at least one more time. Together, I'm sure we can find a way! I can't really use dark energy, but at the same time it doesn't have the same effect on me as it does on you. I can help you keep a clear head!"

    Gretchen is silent for a moment. She has a lot to consider. Rens speaks up to point out, "Gretchen-chan... they may have a point. Our gathered energy is already several orders of magnitude higher than our original estimates. I say this as your sister who has been loyal to you from the start: Darkness may not be the answer. It may be time to consider alternate avenues."

    Gretchen's mask doesn't move, but it's clear from her tone of voice that she's scowling. "And then what? Lose everything and start from square one? Can you truly say that you accept me now, Hope-chan? That you're willing to embrace me, as your dream, without reservation?"

    "I am," says Madoka, and she says it with confidence. There's no hesitation. No wavering. "I saved Tia and Rens, and I'll save you and these two Witches, too."

    A pause. Silence. Then the Gretchen-statue reaches out to grab Madoka, drawing her into the dark form of the stony thing. "Very well... This one last time, I will transform with you."

    Hope Blossom is all at once surrounded by darkness. It overwhelms her. Brai, her other fairy, suddenly pops out and says, "I can't hold back against all of this! I'm sorry, Doka-chan!"

    With a smile, Madoka reassures her tactical Chara. "It's okay. Have faith in me." Then as Madoka moves through that solid/gas mass of darkness, she reaches closer to a particularly opaque spot. "MY HEART: UNLOCK!"

    All of a sudden... everything changes. The dining hall shakes. The statue is gone, replaced by a whirling storm of dark energy. Within the eye of all that gathered power, eyes open in shock, pink hair whipping in the wind, is Hope Witch.

    She's clearly struggling. "I just... I just... I need a moment!" She grasps her head. "It's... so much. Gretchen-chan what were you thinking?!" It's hard to tell if she's in pain or not, but it's pretty clear that she does not like whatever it is she's experiencing. Waves of darkness ripple out from her, knocking teacups over and blasting the tapestries back.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Then, for a moment, her pink eyes flash gold. "I can see it. ... I can see it! It's so obvious!" She turns to the others, reaching out to Tuxedo Kamen and anyone else who offers energy. "I know I can do this! I can feel them! I can hear them!"

    And sure enough, the Witches stop dancing, and they start... looking towards Hope Witch, as if expecting her to say something. Or perhaps, as if they are holding a conversation with her.

Melona Mizu has posed:
The things that happened next to Misery Melon were relatively quick, a shout that attacking was probably not a good idea. Ribbons wrapping around her from behind as she made that leap to run... struggling against the ribbons and even turning her blade to start to cut through them --

When a rose comes flying in and shatters the blade of marble and sharpened porcelain, with a fork guard.

...It's at this point she stops and allows herself to be pulled back, going back to molding and aggressively punching the remnants of that blade, while the shattered fragments turn back to bits of wall and a shattered plate on the ground.

And space between herself and the witches... distanced. It was definitely a strange thing, but well... this is, in fact, a Labyrinth.

"She might not be, but those two are..." She mutters in response to Tuxedo Kamen. "...Being forced to dance like a puppet..." She's not really calmed down, but now she's more just angrily grumbling under her breath, grabbing a section of chair to add to her now-smaller reality 'clay' because now it wasn't enough for a satisfying mold and remold.

The angry little Melon ends up sitting in that chair she'd nabbed a part of, pulling her knees up to her chest even if she's still wrapped up in those ribbons. She's not moving that much anymore, at least. Not moving to go on the attack.

The hand on her shoulder by Amy, unlike the one from Mami earlier, is immediately pulled away from by Misery Melon, who turns -- one eye kept on Gretchen the whole time -- to look at Amy with one eye. "...Do not touch me."

Misery Melon's gaze shifts back towards Gretchen fully after that, though.

"...Who cares what a witch feels... you are ... basically making corpses dance. That is the problem. You are making... a person... just... dance around... like ... like they were never even people to begin with." Melona responds quietly. "...It's wrong... it's awful..."

The question of if she knows how special they are, if she really wants to be a Witch that badly gets a small frown. "I obviously don't... but that's still... wrong." She mutters. She flexes her fingers in that bit of reality she was messing with. Mutter.

And then... Madoka is ... doing... something. Talking with Gretchen. Talking about accepting her. It's... almost like when Sayaka accepted her own other self and did... the thing. Melona's lips press to a thin line as that storm of dark energy replaces reality.

"..."

Her chair is gone.
Annoying.

And... it seemed... maybe... something was wrong? Hm. Misery Melon's powers aren't the sort that can necessarily help this, but she does know something. This is Dark Energy. And it was something she'd been using. And maybe... she could change... things. Slightly.

"...Mami. ...I will likely require a grief seed after this." She comments.

Melona Mizu has posed:
And then she lifts that glob of unmade reality, beginning to form it into daggers. Daggers which she infuses with some of that storm of dark energy.

Really, there's more daggers being formed than there should be, possibly because of the abundance of energy she was drawing on.

...Her aim?

...To launch all of those daggers at some empty corner of the room, drawing in some of the dark energy and using it to... make explosions.

...Yeah it's... probably not the MOST helpful thing, but an attempt is being made to vaguely support things. In her own way.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Pulp Noir frowns a little, but seems happy that someone makes an attempt to stop Misery Melon. He stops in place and looks on as Madoka Character Transforms with Gretchen. That's... that's a lot of dark energy to ingest.

"This isn't your home." he says quietly. Finally to a statement made earlier.

"We have to disperse a lot of dark energy somehow and fast." he says. "I don't think she can just...let it go right now." Pulp Noir says, based on his detective hunch.

He looks over to Star Shine and Sailor Moon, both in rapid succession. They're the known purifiers to him.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Star Shine watches as the darkness is unleashed. She winces and stands up and looks at Pulp Noir. She nods to him and then looks to the Hope Witch. Everything inside her is screaming to do something. Anything. She turns to run but something stops her. She turns back and calls out with a renewed boldness. "Do you want to be purified?" She calls out as loud as she can.

Her resolve reinforced. She starts walking forward into the wave of darkness. She begins singing out a few simple notes. As she does, notes form and begin flying into the darkness clearing a small path toward Hope Witch. As she gets hit with a tapestry she falls down. Quickly she stands back up and is moving again.

Once close enough she reaches out to Hope Witch, "Lets make this right!" She sings out causing a wave of light to flow outward from her for a brief moment.

Taro Yamada has posed:
That's a lot of dark energy. A LOT. Too much for all these kids trying so hard. He feels old, looking at all of them, trying so hard to save the world and each other.

"I can't purify, but I will take some of that darkness. I'm sure someone or other will hit me with purification - better to diffuse it out so you don't get hit so many times, right?"

Kuiper Belt Slasher extends two blood red blades from his palms and presses them against the whirlwind of darkness - and, slowly but surely, darkness creeps down the blades and into his hands, siphoned away from Gretchen-Madoka.

If Madoka-Gretchen will reach her hands out to those two sad, dancing monsters, then a monster will reach out in return so she doesn't fall!

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"They're twin-tails," Sailor Moon mutters at the pink-haired Puella, which - in the long run, turns out to not be as much of a thing worth objecting too, because Melona goes running right at the Witch -

Thank goodness for Tuxedo Kamen! ...and Mami too, of course. But who can fault her for standing from her chair to lean against her boyfriend, once again cupping his cheek and pressing her lips to his, this time with a relieved sigh. "I'm glad. You came just in time to be Gretchan's hero."

And to offer his energy, which gives her a chance to smile at Gretchen, Tia, and Rens.

"Yeah, if you were demanding my Ginzuishou, I'd say no. But if you're asking as my friend, Gretchan, who wants to do something good - of course I'll share my energy with you. Especially if it will stop you from taking it from people who can't be asked."

Isn't it that simple? At the end of the day, a friend is asking for help. Why wouldn't she give that help?

And then - Madoka makes her stand, Hope Blossom offering to make up for that power, and the stone statue that is Gretchen captures her in stone. It's... honestly, it's nervewracking, and Sailor Moon clutches the back of her chair as she watches, waiting for a sign - and the whole world starts to shake, or at least, the hall, as the statue disappears, replaced by that whirling storm of dark energy, with Hope Witch trapped at the center.

She reaches out to them, calling, and Sailor Moon is glad to be on her feet - glad to bring to her hand the Crescent Wand and to take Tuxedo Kamen's hand in hers, as her fuku transforms into pale white ribbons that ripple down, forming that unmistakable white and gold dress. Her skin, touched with color from the sun, becomes pale as milk, touched by a faint ethereal glow as her blond hair becomes a silver-white. Her tiara vanishes, leaving the Moon's sigil on her forehead.

Above her left hand hovers the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, a tangerine-sized crystal, glowing with pale light. In her right hand is gripped Prince Endymion's own hand, and she nods to Pulp Noir's hunch.

And when the yet unknown to her magical girl calls out, asking if Hope Witch wants to be purified, and gets a positive response?

Her lips part in a broad smile.

"Madoka-chan, Gretchan - all you ever had to do was ask!"

A circle of golden light forms behind Hope Witch, and at Princess Serenity's command, fires purifying light. It might hurt - like the cleansing power of peroxide, like scouring away mud after being caught in the rain - but the sting will fade quickly.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka winces at Amy bringing up mistakes. She feels making a mistake so colossal to the point of becoming a Witch is not really something that many have in their repertoire, and the fact she had to make two big ones just in the past month... she feels she can really attest to making mistakes. It's important that she finds a way to avoid them, even if Gretchen is not and won't be a "god" with a solution. She is not really good enough right now.

Sayaka's eyes widen when she hears Madoka propose to transform again with Gretchen, having a flashback to all the times using that power hurt her. Can she really do it considering the huge amount of power Gretchen has gathered?

She bites her lips, clearly having reserves about the new directions the events were taking, but she trusts Madoka to know what she is talking about more than anyone else, so she just stays put as much as she feels this is wrong. When the transformation is over, Sayaka looks with an anxious expression towards her childhood friend.

This really was wrong. It's too much even for someone like as strong-hearted like Madoka. She watches as the dark energy lashes out uncontrolled while Madoka seems to have some sort of revelation. "Oktavia, try to hold it back!", Sayaka calls out to her Witch self, the armored mermaid appearing in the room as her Soul Gem loses a part of its brilliance.

Oktavia's hands reach out to the waves of dark energy trying to keep them contained, while the bluenette reaches out for her best friend, offering her hand. If Madoka is there asking help or energy, she will always answer.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Kissu! They're terrible today, these two, obnoxious couple time-- just like their predecessor-selves which so many people met in the past-echo portal.

But they're also useful, at least: Tuxedo Kamen transforms along with Sailor Moon, going from nearly all-black formalwear to a prince's armor, his hair even fluffier than before...

...and then he's reaching back to Madoka even as Melona's explosions start going off in the corners of the immense marble room, and the golden glow in his hand starts out dim and grows brighter and brighter, nearly as bright as Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber as he closes the gap between his own hand and Madoka's.

Warm gold energy like sunlight painting squares on a hardwood floor pours into Madoka, a healing thing, strong and ancient and calm, encouraging the healthy to grow and encouraging the injured to get well.

It's not a paradise like the one Gretchen's been trying to build, it's only the world they have, but for all the things that go wrong and all the things that hurt, there's beauty in equal measure: a crystal clear pool of icy mountain water in a rocky glen, the cool breath of air from a cave on a hot day, the bedrock beneath continents, the forests primeval, the electrical nervous systems of cities and the stone that still holds the memories of cities that died millennia ago--

It's all there in that energy, that lantern in the snowy wastes, that mossy bed in a bower, that outcrop in the lee of the wind, that shelter and that promise. Warmth. Safety. Wellness. Respite. It's all there as a backdrop for Madoka, for Gretchen, to pull on and fall back on if she wants to, in the middle of the piercing silver light of purification.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy urges Melon. "Please. wait a little longer." and takes the hand off her shoulder, nodding in agreement that making the Witches dance was fucked up.

    And then... Amy made a suggestion, and Tuxedo Mask offered power, and Madoka and Gretchen decide to re-merge and see what they can do that way.

    Amy doesn't have much power left to offer-- well. She doesn't have a fully-charged soul gem. But even a mostly-charged soul gem contains a lot of power by magical girl standards, doesn't it? It's just that it needs to be recharged after...

    Amy reaches a hand out towards Hope Witch, willing her energy to be shared.

    But then she wonders if, maybe, she can do more? There's something at the edge of her consciousness, like a door she could open, or a new spell. She reaches her hand out towards the Witches instead, and light travels down her body, changing her outfit to a more traditional magical girl outfit, and not one copied from a game this time. A red-over-white dress with a white cape, with a pink bow on her chest, star decorations around the waist, red boots, and that sort of 'flower petal' shape on the overskirt and the ends of red-and-white gloves, similar to Madoka's.

    Gretchen might have an inkling. In one timeline power misuse may have led to Amy witching at the train station instead of Sayaka. Or maybe they had to fight Oktavia and Nonamanda at the same time. That probably didn't go well.

    But here... if the souls inside the Witches desire it... Puella Magi Amanda's power is far, far more efficient at being used to give them cuter forms, than at simply being donated as a power source.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Yuki isn't any good at purification magic. She's not very good at a lot of kinds of magic, really. She's done some programming, but this kind of thing is more instinctively pushing mana around than anything else.

But that's what she's got to do if she's going to be any help in all this. It's a drop in the bucket compared to Serenity's ocean, but it's what she has. She rises to her feet, the familiar octagonal rune-circles forming, and then she gets an idea.

Maybe a good one. Maybe a bad one. But it seemed to work for Utau...

The guitar is in her hands again, and she has a song to share.

    There's a dark and a troubled side of life
    There's a bright and a sunny side too
    Tho we meet with the darkness and strife
    The sunny side we also may view

    Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
    Keep on the sunny side of life
    It will help us ev'ry day, it will brighten all the way
    If we keep on the sunny side of life....

She carries on with the song, not really singing for anyone, but focusing the mood of it into the magic she passes on to Madoka and Gretchen.

Never give up hope.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The storm of darkness rages furiously. Rens hides behind her monitor and equipment, saying, "There's too much chaos. I can't get a clear reading!" Then her monitor goes flying and would've hit her if not for Tia diving to shove her out of the way. Sadly for her tea set, it's getting tossed around too. Good thing it's probably Witch matter. The two Chara hide away from the wind as the world is filled with noise and danger.

    Melona and Back Street Slasher help in their own way, drawing darkness out from the storm and redirecting it elsewhere or at least stopping it. Oktavia becomes a Witch-sized shield against the tempest, making things just a little bit safer. Hope Witch is grateful for these efforts, because it means she can focus more on the task at hand.

    Star Shine asks, "Do you want to be purified?" and Madoka has to consider it.

    "Gretchen-chan... I know it hurts, but... Please, have faith in me. Have faith in my solution."

    Gretchen's response, via her Terrible Presence, can be heard and felt over the din.

    I would give up every ounce of this stolen energy if it would help me save at least one of these Witches. I don't care if it fixes me or not. Just do it!

    Of course, that answer applies to Sailor Moon, too. Madoka takes Seiko's hand with one of her own, and Endymion's with the other, as Serenity's purification magic washes over all of them. Amy offers her energy too, and though Madoka is tempted to tell her not to, she feels like she must respect the purity and kindness in the risk that Red has chosen to take. With all of this offered magic, her once befuddled mind suddenly becomes clear.

    A white aura surrounds Hope Witch's black dress. Her Humpty Lock, hanging from her neck, starts to rise and glow with power. Space, once again, warps around her. "For real this time... NEGATIVE HEART: LOCK ON!" The bent space creates a loop, turning her own heart beam against herself, catching her within its confines for a critical moment. "OPEN HEART!"

    There is a flash of beautiful, brilliant rainbow light. It does not merely radiate out from Hope Witch. The night sky itself turns bright pearlescent white, flooding this entire pocket universe with purifying power. Not only Madoka's own, but Seiko's and Serenity's and Endymion's and Amy's... all the magic offered to Madoka is spread all throughout X-Paradise. Yuki's song can be heard throughout all corners.

    Within this brilliant shining moment, the Witches seem to respond to Amy. It's not clear how, but there's a vague sense of 'ooh I like that'.

    The entire Labyrinth is now nothing but pearlescent white. Hope Witch is shining bright. Her black ribbons turn white and poofy. Her black ribbon dress merges and turns into a white, elegant, multi-layered affair. Her pink hair becomes longer... impossibly long, with strands that stretch out into infinity. A pair of translucent wings spread from her back. The underside of her dress shows a starfield. Her golden eyes open, filled with determination as she calls out.

    "Persephone... Jane..." she shouts, then pauses. "No, those aren't your real names... those aren't who you are. I can see it, your sorrow, your despair, and your truth!"

    "Masako! All you wanted was to live. You didn't care about the money that they wanted to steal from you. Basu! All you wanted was a friend, and you found one! Remember that. Remember who you are, and forget all of this!" She reaches out to the pair of Witches, who are now glowing with that same pure white light. Their forms, both balloon bunch and reaper cloak, turn black, dissolve away, and then...

    And Then The World Ends.

    Suddenly they are all out by the beach. The light no longer consumes the entire universe, but it's still here, radiating out from Hope Witch.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    No, actually. That's not her name anymore. It's Hope Concept now.

    As for the other two Witches, they no longer exist. Instead, in their place, is two knocked out bodies laying on the beach. One of them is clearly an American girl, and the other is clearly Indian. Thanks to Amy, they are both wearing cute outfits.

    Of course, the Witches, the Meanie Dokas and the Interlopers weren't the only ones in that Labyrinth. Many, many X-Eggs were in there with them, and only some of them got caught in the purification energy. Those that have been cleansed are turned back to white with the standard Chara decorations adoring them. However, there are a few more left to clean up.

    Hope Concept is tired, out of breath, floating in the air as her wings tiredly flap to hold her up.

    "Gretchen-chan... Gretchen... we did it..."

    She looks up to the remaining X-eggs, sad that they missed out. She says, "Stop... stop them! Cleanse them before they run away!"

    She reaches up but... she can't. She's nearly spent. Her divine pinkness needs a moment.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Star Shine takes a hold of Madoka's hand and her eyes soften then close. A song builds within her and within a moment it comes out of her with a wave of purifying light.

Like a small boat in the ocean
Sending big waves into motion
Like how a single word can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion...

The purifying light pulses and catches a few X-eggs in its wake. It blends with Sailor Moon's purifying energy and flows over Hope Witch in a calming, relaxing wave.

"This is my Fight Song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song hey ha!
My power's turned on
Starting right now, I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
Cause I've still got a lot fo fight left in me

She smiles and opens her eyes and whispers, "Open Heart!" The purifying magic that flows out of her turns a few of the black X eggs back to their white color. She smiles as she continues holding Madoka's hand.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You did it, you really did it, Hope!" Sayaka smiles at the pinkette, looking at the proof of Madoka's power, the two ex-magical girls now magical girls again. They actually managed it, this is actually real. Gretchen and Madoka did what they were trying to find a solution for. Then a thought struck her. Could this be a chance for her too?

She sighs, summoning a sword to her. She had many chances, but she really doesn't feel she is able to help people like she had always wanted to like this. "Hope, I have a request for you. This is quite sudden, but I want you to break my contract with Kyubey if you can. I don't really think this is the path for me. I don't think I really am able to help as much as I should."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Pulp Noir braces and the world becomes pearlescent white. Then suddenly. The beach. And Madoka looks different. And there's two extra girls. The Witches...? Can be turned back into girls?....

*Inset Witches Casefile. Updated.*

Tia and Rens seem un-Xed. Gretchen has been saved. Does that mean this Case is closed?

Pulp Noir tugs the brim of his fedora down.

*Inset 'The Missing Eggs' Casefile. STAMP. CLOSED.*

He has to hide a few tears as he keeps the brim of his hat down a little. "Here's looking at you, kid." he mumbles.

Taro Yamada has posed:
The darkness tastes like pennies and dead flowers. The Slasher drinks it anyway,drinks deep, trying to lessen the burden on Madoka and the rest - and he does not move out of the way when the purification attacks start flying.

They sting a little, like seasalt on a sunburn, but when the air clears, there's only a wisp of the rotton taste left. The purification must have done it's work.

(He does not see the darkness swirling at the toy coffin on his hip, slurped away by one of his dolls. He's still seeing spots.)

Without a building to climb, there's no way he's getting enough height to catch any of those X-Chara. Which is fine, because he's got another plan in mind.

He walks over to Hope Concept, still exhausted on the ground, and sits with her, pulling a slightly smushed box of mochi out of his coat. He hadn't been able to use it to bribe the X-Chara earlier, so he may as well repurpose them now. "Here. I know you don't know me and I"m super suspicious, but it's important to eat after you do something huge and reckless. Amy and Tuxedo Guy and the others have catching all those little eggmen covered. Do you need water? I've got a bottle in one of my pockets," says the hulking monster man in the sunflower-and-oleander kimono.

Melona Mizu has posed:
Alright. It... seems... like launching the darkness at the darkness is ... sort of helping, to some degree? ... Melona is mostly focused on that, converting dark energy and the shards of fake reality she'd gathered up ... quietly glad that she's off and away from all of the purification over there. Especially when Tuxedo Kamen turns into Prince Endymion. Even from over there, she could feel edges of that pure energy.

...And then the world goes white.

And then what Melona is drawing on, after that Unlock, is not dark energy, she IMMEDIATELY stops, nearly recoiling from all of it, but forcing herself to watch as the witches.

Are purified.

...But did they deserve that? ... Were they people who deserved something like this? ...After all, those who turned into Witches... they let the darkness in their hearts win, right?

Ugh.
Whatever.
That's not her place to decide.

...At least they weren't being forced to dance like some morbid puppet show anymore.

...And they're back on the beach. And she is watching the aftermath silently. X-eggs fleeing and escaping. She doesn't care about those. "..."

"I guess she wasn't trying to be a bully."

Misery Melon turns and starts to trudge away. A good ending, if far, far too bright, and yet somehow...

Unsatisfying.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
In the depths of the Dark Energy storm and the flood of light, a bright white spills out, and Hope Witch becomes something else - something not other, but different nonetheless. There are two songs playing now, competing for air time as the Labyrinth vanishes, but Princess Serenity tunes them out, watching the aftermath of another miracle.

For there are no longer two Witches accompanying them, but two girls, unconscious, sprawled on the beach in very cute outfits, and tears spill down her cheeks to see them.

Madoka... did it. She and Gretchen - they did it.

With hope and joy in her heart, it's no effort at all to clasp her hands around the Silver Crystal once more and call out, again -

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

On this of all days, no one gets left behind. Even the most lonely of dreams can be saved.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Darkness. Yuki is glad she isn't stuck in it. She can feel the edges of it, and remembers the Eclipse Zone, and other times she's run into it. Chills. Lethargy. She fights back with her will, her song, her heart, remembering all the bright and wonderful times. The times her friends came to her rescue, the times Madoka and Gretchen had been there for her.

And then... whiteness.

Sunlight. The beach. She's landed back in her seat by the shoreline, where she'd been pondering the ponderables and the imponderables, and --

X-Eggs. Gretchen had been gathering them, after all. So why not? Give light to the dreams of children everywhere!

    There's a time laid out for laughing, there's a time laid out to weep
    There's a time laid out for sowing, there's a time laid out to reap
    There's a time to love your brother, and a time for hate to cease
    You must sow the seeds of justice, to reap the fruit of peace

    And the winds are singing freedom! They sing it everywhere!
    They sing it on the mountaintops, and in the city squares!
    They sing of a new day dawning, when our people will be free
    Come and join our song of freedom, let it ring from sea to sea!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There are X-eggs he can catch but he can't purify, and Endymion's most concerned about Gretchen. Like, is she still Gretchen--? Wait, there are literally de-witched girls there on the beach now?? How long have they been missing?

How long had they been Witches?

Questions the prince wants to ask but there's so much else going on; and--

And Serenity fixes the dreams that had been stolen away, and there are still two different people singing two completely different songs, and Endymion, Crown Prince of Earth, takes out a pair of earplugs and silently puts them in before standing behind Serenity again. The stars are twinkling in the midnight sky above, and he leans down and kisses the top of her head.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy can feel it. She presses her magic in a new direction, guided by Madoka and Gretchen and the Witches' desires... And all their powers combine, and everything feels right and good. For a moment, her appearance shifts from the red colorscheme, to the blue-and-white one Mamoru saw in the dream as reality becomes a matter of ideas and feelings, not of physics. Hope Concept reaches out and touches the Witches' souls, and

    The World Ends.

    Amy's still standing on the beach, red with a white cape, in a proper magical girl outfit, her hand outstretched towards the two new girls.

    Amy stares.

    Someone shouts about the X-Eggs. Amy steps towards some of them and then feels low on magic. Her soul gem, presently on a chest bow like in a senshi costume, is suddenly in its 'egg' form in her hand; A sliver of ruby red blazes against corruption, but there's a reddish tinge and an extra shine to the whole thing, like the 'glass' around her soul is softly glowing from being connected to so much positive energy. The effect is a bit like an inverse of her soul gem dimming due to negative emotions, making it look like the corruption is brightened.

    Others handle the eggs. Amy walks over to the two ex-Witches, smiling broadly, joyfully, feeling like she's fulfilling her purpose in life for a moment. "Hey." She crouches by them. "Hey, wake up." She reaches out to poke their cheeks with her finger. "You're back in your bodies. No more soul gem."

    Wait, no more soul gem?!

    That brings her to the same conclusion Sayaka just reached, but... does she want that? Amy looks at the soul gem in her hand.

    And then silver energy washes over everything and her soul gem starts refilling...

Melona Mizu has posed:
Slow trudging at first, that's what Melona was doing. And then, well. ...Then there was a sound echoing from behind her.

...Moon Healing Escalation.

That is spreading widely.
NOPE.

Instead of a slow trudge, Misery Melon is full on running at that point.

She's probably at least partially caught in it, but still. ... Better than taking it directly.

That would hurt.
And then stop hurting.
And she's not ready for that.

That would be like letting go of her friends.

And so Misery Melon runs as fast as her little legs can carry her.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Star Shine and Yuki are both singing. Hope Concept adds her own power to Star's purification, giving her song a little bit of a boost to help reach the X-Eggs. Serenity also adds her own power to the mix, and Hope Concept smiles.

    As much as she enjoys being able to purify people and save X-Eggs, she's also glad that there are others around that can pick up the slack for when she's freaking exhausted. Which she currently is right now.

    "I don't know if I can maintain this form for much longer..." she admits. Looking at the mochi, she smiles at Backstreet Slasher and accepts it, eating the treat in the hopes that it'll give her a boost. At the offer of water, she says, "Yes, please!"

    In the back, floating over the water, Brai has joined the side of Rens and Tia, and the three of them are chatting together. There's some distance at first, but eventually the ex-X-Chara warm up to the elder sister. Lydian, Sio and Medo appear and join the gathering, and the six of them float away somewhere to play together.

    The only one not among them is Gretchen. Madoka touches her own chest, over where her heart is, and wonders about the fate of her own X-Chara.

    Sayaka approaches Madoka with a request, and Hope Concept blinks at her. Looking at her childhood friend's Soul Gem, she ponders for a moment, and then offers her a warm smile. "Breaking the contract is not easy, but... you have made a Wish, and you have made a Witch. There's a little bit of oddness surrounding your circumstances, but in your case it actually makes it a little easier."

    Concept reaches out to touch Sayaka's Soul Gem. It flashes for a moment and then it is gone. "Your soul is back where it belongs. You are a Puella no longer. You won't Fade right away, so you have time to find a new form of magic. If you need more help, remember that I'm here."

    Turning to Amy with a frown, she says, "I don't think I'll be able to free you today, but... I also don't think you're in immediate danger. I'm sorry I can't do more..."

    It's then that Madoka's strength gives out. She stops floating. Her pure white shoes touch the sand, and she drops to her knees as her henshin fades. Out from her chest, a brand new Chara egg pops out.

    Immediately it hatches, and a minidoka pops out looking like a tiny version of the Goddess that Madoka just was a few moments ago. "Skill issue! Can't believe you faded so fast."

    Madoka whines. "Gretchen-chan..."

    "It's Kamiko now!" she corrects. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because I'm cuter and fluffier now!"

    As for Amy approaching the former Witches, she rouses them from their slumber. Basu wakes up first, and then Masako, each of them rubbing their foreheads. Basu speaks, "What happened?"

    Masako responds, "I don't remember... I think... we were fighting a Witch?"

    "No Soul Gem...?" asks Basu, patting herself down, looking at her finger and seeing no ring. "We... our contract is broken? How?"

    The two girls marvel for a moment. Madoka, tired as she is, says, "You've lost your potential. I'm sorry... but unlike Sayaka... you can't make another contract, and I don't think there's any other magic for you. But... you can live an ordinary life from now on. I hope that's enough."

    Basu and Masako blink at the girl, but Basu smiles and says, "You've given us our lives back... Even if we won't remember your kindness, that's more than enough."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy looks at Sayaka and sees Hope Concept do something incredible. And then turn towards Amy--

    Amy clutches her soul to her chest. "No, wait! I don't want to lose my magic!" And then Madoka's back. "Gretchen..." Kamiko. "Really?" She looks over Kamiko. "Yeah, that tracks. Thank you, both of you. All of you, for..."

    Amy turns to look at the two dewitched girls. Or two of the three, anyway. "...finding a way here, instead of a much sadder ending. I'll work with you on Paradise later, if you want."

    The sleepers awaken. Two magical girls Amy never met. Two Puella Magi Amy never met. For the moment at least, they understand what has happened and they're happy. It's a little bittersweet that they'll lose their memories, but. Amy holds out her arms to offer each of them a hug. "Um. We could also trade numbers, or contact info, or something. I don't know how long you've been gone, or if you'll need help from Radiant Heart... I'm Amanda Faust, uh, 10th grade, by the way. Pleased to meet and help both of you." She bows.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Star Shine takes a deep breath. She steps backward from Madoka and goes quiet as she takes a knee. Her eyes go to the former X-eggs floating away. A smile forms on her lips as she continues watching. "I can't maintain my henshin much longer." She comments softly as she stands up.

Almost immediately her henshin breaks leaving Seiko standing there with a very tired Hoshi. Seiko quickly takes hoshi in her hands and pulls her close. "I'm sorry for pushing so hard."

"Its okay Seiko-chan! You did good!" Hoshi smiles and hugs Seiko.

Seiko takes a deep breath. "I guess I should go. It was nice running into everyone. And nice working with you." She smiles to the others and turns to leave but seems to lag behind partially wanting to talk.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Uh? She really can do it? As much as she was hoping that was true, Sayaka is still taken aback by the fact it is actually possible. "Thank you, Hope." She is tempted to ask if there is anything she should do - is it better transformed or untrasformed? - but before she can, Madoka has already touched her Soul Gem and made it disappear.

Sayaka sighs as she feels magic disappear from her together with the Soul Gem, when her clothes return to normal. Having her soul back in place doesn't actually feel any different, which makes sense considering she had never realised Kyubey had taken it away, as bitter as that thought is.

She doesn't really know what to do with that potential, but Madoka has given her time to decide. While she considers that question, Oktavia starts fading behind her, disappearing like a mirage in a desert. At the same, a loud thud is heard, a big box falling on the sad of the beach. "Oh, right, the Grief Seeds I was keeping in my Labyrinth. I guess it's gone now." If Gretchen was any indication, Kamiko probably has a Labyrinth to keep them in. It will be fine.

Then Kamiko pops out of Madoka just as she becomes exhausted. Did she ask too much of her? "Can you let her have a break for one minute?" Sayaka frowns at Gretchen, or Kamiko now, when she is as inflexible as always. "She just solved your mess."

Rubbing the back of her head, Sayaka turns to the now completely normal girls. "Well, if nothing else, I am not sure forgetting Kamiko's rudeness counts as a loss. I hope you two make the most of your new life."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The brilliant transformation that is Hope Not-So-Witch fades, leaving Madoka with a Chara who is and is not Gretchen - who is Kamiko, now, but just as sassy, and Sailor Moon - for the shape and form of Princess Serenity fades under the soft kiss from Prince Endymion, leaving the soldier of love and justice, squees a little with happiness to see her safe and sound.

"Ah! You're still so cute, Gret- Kamiko-chan!" Aw, that cute nickname is no more! But still. But still, this is a good thing.

And another good thing happens, as Sayaka, who had suffered and fallen and become a Witch and pulled herself back together - surrenders her contract. Loses her power, but regains the surety of her soul being in her body, her self no longer under threat of transforming... and she leans back against Endymion with a little sigh of happiness.

"This is such a good day," she tells him quietly, as much with her feelings - with skin to skin contact - as with her words. One of them, will definitely reach him.

There's a vague awareness that one - maybe nmroe - of the others have departed, but for now she's just enjoying the moment. It's not every night (it could be though) that she gets to enjoy the night with him.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Yuki's song finishes, and she puts away the guitar with a little sigh. Then she stands, dusting the sand from her legs. "I'm glad you made the right call, Gretchen... or is it Kamiko now?" She's not really sure at this point, there's been a lot of concepts tossed around that she isn't really sure of.

She looks over briefly at the two waking girls who used to be witches, and assures herself that they're okay, or as much as she and Argent Dawn's sensors can tell, they are. She'll have a lot of questions for someone soon enough, but at least the conflict is done with.

"Did all the X-eggs get sent home? Purified and everything?" She was a bit busy to keep track of them all.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko looks at Hoshi once again who is still resting in her hand. "Lets get you back to school." With that she starts walking away from the beach. She turns and gives a wave to the other magical people before turning back in the direction of the school. She quietly walks, holding Hoshi close, not wanting any harm to come to her.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Seeing Amy clutch her soul gem so preciously gives Madoka pause. She's clearly surprised, but after a moment she simply smiles. She wouldn't be able to do anything even if Amy wanted her to. Shaking her head, Madoka says, "It's okay, Amy-chan. You can stay a Puella Magi if you want to. I'm not going to trick you or pressure you into anything. Especially not if it means so much to you."

    Kamiko crosses her arms and looks up at Sayaka. She's about to object or complain, but she hesitates and decides to keep her more bitey comments to herself. "I mean... thanks... The dark energy was really getting to me. Besides..." She plants her white gloved hands on her tiny hips, "I may not have fixed the world, but I still got to keep my Paradise, and this time without any gross dark energy. I bet I can even store food there now!" Because of course, that's vitally important to the gluttonous Chara. "Also, we did save the Witches, so even if I did a couple of dumb things and wasted a lot of time gathering dark energy that ultimately just got in the way, I still consider this a good day!"

    Madoka smiles at Seiko, saying, "Thanks for coming. I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this, but you were really helpful."

    Kamiko starts hovering over the box of Grief Seeds, considering them before looking up at Sayaka. "So... speaking of Paradise... I suspect you wont need these anymore? I can look after them, if you want."

    Eventually, Madoka regains enough strength to stand. Kamiko rests on her shoulder. "I think... maybe I should go soon too," admits the Chara Bearer.

    As for Basu and Masako, they accept and return Amy's hug, then they both stand up before brushing the sand off of their clothes. Masako considers, "Right... numbers. I wonder if our phones are still good."

    Basu sweatdrops, "I think... I... huh. It's only been a few weeks?"

    Kamiko overhears this and actually scoots over to the group to comment, "We caught you shortly after you Witched. We thought it'd be easier to help you if you didn't have blood on your hands."

    Basu stares at the tiny fairy, and then says, "Eheh... thanks?" After a pause, she says, "Anyways, my name's Basu. I'm a transfer student from India. 9th grade RHA."

    "Masako Haka, but obviously that's not my birth name." She looks at Amy and clears her throat, "You might actually be able to pronounce it. Victoria Graves. Also 9th."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy actually looked scared at the thought of losing her magic. She shakes her head. "It's not that... maybe I could be something other than a Puella Magi... but... without magic... I don't have any other dream. And if I forgot magic..."

    "...I wouldn't be me anymore."

    She takes a moment to calm down as Madoka talks to the others and the grief seeds are brought out. Amy retrieves one from... somewhere, and it's got that same glow on it as her soul gem did. The energy sort of... jumps to her soul gem, which shines even brighter. "...Huh. Well..." Amy holds it out for Kamiko.

    Hugs are exchanged. Amy is happy to have played this part in healing them and giving them a happier future, a chance to be themselves. "No way... you were here, only a few weeks? How did we miss eachother?"

    "I can pronounce it." She says it like an English-speaker, "Victoria Graves. But uh, shouldn't I call you whatever name you want to be called?"

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Yuki watches as the former-puellae are welcomed back to the land of the normal, and the differing reactions of Sayaka and Amy. She walks over closer to the group to indulge her curiority.

"So, I gotta wonder," she asks, quietly, to avoid being noticed by the new girls. "Just what is a Puella, and why is it a big deal?" She looks to Sayaka and asks especially of her, "Especially that you're not one anymore?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Hey, I haven't lost my potential. I... just don't know what to do with it. You could start looking into other magic types. I could see you as a Device Mage", Sayaka replies to Amy.

"If you behave, I will bring you a box of ice cream", Sayaka tells Kamiko, keeping her thoughts over the frivolous use of her Labyrinth to herself. "But the two of them being saved is definitely one of the best things that has happened recently. Good job, Kamiko", she ruffles the top of the Chara's head with a smile.

"Good thing you still have your Paradise", Sayaka smiles at the god-Chara's offer. "Though I shouldn't really be all that surprised with the Labyrinth you had as Gretchen. Please, do take them in, and thanks. I will bring you the ice cream later", she adds, of course counting this as falling under her previous promise. Kamiko knows, or can tell, that there will be more to come the more her good behaviour lasts.

After probably watching the box vanish inside the Paradise, she is about to go back to school when Yuki has quite a few questions about Puellae. "The description Kyubey approves is people who become magical girls making a contract with him to gain magic and a duty to kill Witches, monsters who spread despair. We also get a wish, which partially dictates your powers. Only your own potential is a limit for the wish", Sayaka starts explaining, a hint of annoyance at giving out Kyubey's description first.

She waves at the other two girls. "It should mean something like 'girl of the mage'. Puella Magi, the full name, I mean. As Basu-san and Graves-san show, there is much more to it than what Kyubey tells you. Soul Gems are literally that: Kyubey transfers your soul there as part of the contract. Makes us more durable. And then, Puellae become Witches after falling into despair or using up all your magic, but using a Grief Seed, gotten from killing Witches, is enough. We shouldn't be able to come back from that according to what Kyubey knows, but luckily he doesn't know everything", Sayaka grins at Madoka and Kamiko.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Yuki nods as she takes in the explanation. "I get it, I think. It sounds a little... I dunno. Like something out of the old stories about making deals with the Fae." She shrugs again. "I guess sometimes you just wish you could go home and leave the fight to someone else, hm?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy gets an explanation that people are looking for Victoria and Kyubey simply... got all cagey about other Puella Magi at Radiant Heart.

    Given what Amy and her friends knew... understandable.

    Amy turns to Sayaka and Yuki. "Puella Magi. It's latin for mahou shoujo; but with so many types of magical girls running around," Amy shrugs, "since it's what Kyubey calls us sometimes," (Ed: Only by MUSH convention) "it's as good a title as any."

    Amy glances over at the new girls. "I suppose Majou shoujo* might be more appropriate, but... obviously we didn't know that when we first became magical girls."

    She looks back to Sayaka. "You say that as if we get a choice. I'm not the reincarnated guardian of some planet, or the guardian of the guardian of a planet. My dreams were hollow save one, and Kyubey gave it to me. There's no fairy or god coming to me telling me I'm chosen to become a Pretty Cure, and if the Cures are commanded to never fall in love what else aren't they being told?"

    Amy makes a horizontal chopping motion with her arm, "I'm no mermaid princess. I'm not from another land. I'm a one-of-a-kind... ugh..." she fumbles for a word to use she won't have to then give a definition for, "nyotaikako**, a lonely anomaly that lucked into becoming a magical girl once. I've never been a lucky person; I don't think I'll be that lucky again."

    "I don't even know the specifics of why Kyubey was able to recruit me, when no one else became a magical girl after becoming an adult" she looks down at her hand, then at her soul gem held in her other hand, and frowns. "...although I can guess. I suppose I could still provide the energy for this kind of magic, with a little help."

    Amy blinks. "Huh. I wonder if I encountered magic as a kid and forgot. That would..." Amy shakes her head. "I'll never know."

    She looks back to Sayaka. "Anyway, we don't know if the same is true for any other kind of magic. How do you even become a device mage, seems like you either come from space and already have one, or find one. Giving up being a Puella Magi might be a one-way trip. I may already be past the Fade and constant exposure to a magic existence is what keeps me from forgetting. You were there one of the times Kyubey tried to recruit me, and I forgot. How many other times did he talk to me before that? Or after?" Amy shrugs and shakes her head, solemnly.


*Witch girl
**Turned-into-a-girl girl (it sounds less clunky in Japanese, okay?)

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Back when I was in Paris, something happened, and I wasn't able to do anything besides restrict the use of my magic to the minimum needed to survive", Sayaka sighs as she replies to Yuki, her expression really cagey about the specifics.

"I wasn't able to help my friends who were fighting some apocalyptic demon, I wasn't able to help normal people from your average youma, I was just able to measure the Grief Seeds I had", she shrugs. "That's when I decided that I wasn't any good as a Puella, and everyone would be better off without me as one."

The bluenette can't decide whether to laugh or be really angry at Kyubey when Amy says he has gone the extra mile to make a pun of themselves and Witches. "Mahou shoujo. Majou shoujo. Kyubey really is sick."

Besides that, she takes the time to consider what Amy is telling her. "I still haven't met this supposed mermaid princess everyone and even Ula keeps telling me about. It's like it just isn't fate for us to meet", Sayaka gives Amy a smile. "But I don't have any special destiny either, and if God tells me not to fall in love, I think he may just have his reasons."

She looks around at the beach. She'd been here once with Amy, when she was still split in half, when her feelings were all over the place. What a coincidence. "Still, I guess we have different proirities here. I just wanted to be a heroine of justice and help people. If your dream is to be a magical girl, then I agree you have no reason to change anything."

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Yuki nods, "Thanks for explaining it," she says to both Sayaka and Amy. "We'll have to get together and talk some more about it, sometime soon..."

She pauses and considers for a moment. "Maybe we can all go get lunch?"